


Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Heart

by gingergallifreyan



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Mostly Fluff, Single Dad AU, hot single dad, kid!fic obvs, minor appearance by Bill Potts, minor characters death in the first chapter, yep pretty much a few chapters of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-12-25 14:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12038040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergallifreyan/pseuds/gingergallifreyan
Summary: John Noble had never expected to be a father, but he'd gladly adopted his goddaughter, Jenny, when both her parents had died in a tragic accident. They were unbelievably happy together. He'd also never expected to meet a beautiful blonde dressed as a princess at his daughter's sixth birthday party.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New story, who dis?
> 
> Anyway, been working at this for a while. I saw this prompt on dailyau over on tumblr, so I thought I'd tweak it and give it a crack. 
> 
> Also, sort of inspired by Out of the Ashes by gallifreyslostson, one of THE BEST single parent fics out there known to fankind. I highly rec it. It's unfinished and may never be finished, so this is probably me working out my sadness about that. I read it earlier this year on my big trip, and I was just... floored, and it's probably inspired all of my writing since then.
> 
> At any rate, I can't promise regular updates. School is in session, and parts of this story aren't quite finished, but since the first and second chapters are finished, I thought I'd go ahead with them. 
> 
> And, just a warning, minor character deaths in this first chapter.
> 
> Unbeta'd, so please forgive any mistakes.

“Thank you. This'll mean a lot to her.” John Noble ended the call on his mobile and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his office desk. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hope she likes this.”

He’d never expected to be a father. No, he’d been content to live out his days as a free man. Never had the intention to fall in love, never had the itch for marriage or to procreate. He liked working at the university as a lecturer of... well, just about anything science-y. Until Jenny, he’d been happy to lecture every day, to research late into the evenings, to publish paper after paper in major science journals.

Until, that his, he volunteered to watch his goddaughter for the week for a second time.

John had known Louis for quite some time. They’d been friends throughout their uni careers. Then Louis met Jeanne, and they fell in love immediately. John had been Louis’ best man in their wedding. Two years later, he was in the hospital when they welcomed their first child, a girl. They named her Jennifer, Jenny for short. They asked John to be her godfather.

Their first vacation had been a similar trip when Jenny was three to wine country in California. Seeing as how neither of them had any living relatives, and he was her godfather, John offered to watch Jenny for the week before they’d even had the chance to ask. He and Jenny had gotten on so well, taking trips to museums and the zoo and watching movies. He loved her bright smile and her curiosity and her laughter and her blonde hair. Everyone told him what a beautiful daughter he had when they were out. He just smiled and thanked them. John was, to his surprise, sad for the remainder of the day after Louis and Jeanne picked her up.

Four years later, they were looking forward to enjoying their second major vacation since she’d been born. They’d decided to visit Thailand for a week for their anniversary. He’d been so pleased to take care of Jenny again. 

He successfully put the rambunctious four-year-old to sleep on their first night, reading a few of her favorite bedtime stories and entertaining her with different voices for the characters until her eyelids became heavy.

Then he received a call early the next morning. The plane had gone down. There were no survivors.

He was devastated to lose his friends. But more than that, he was devastated for Jenny, who was now an orphan with no living relatives to care for her.

Except him, as much of a relative a godfather could be.

The decision wasn’t hard, especially after his family, and especially his sister, Donna, let him know that they were behind him all the way. Sylvia Noble had been thrilled at the prospect of gaining a granddaughter, a sentiment she expressed while giving Donna a look. “Glad to see someone’s giving me grandchildren.”

He filed for adoption. She’d stayed in his small guest room on her weeklong and weekend visits, so it was no trouble for him to convert it to a room for her.

It didn’t take long for Jenny to call him Daddy, only a few weeks. He’d put her to sleep one evening, and she mumbled, “Nuh-night, Daddy,” before she dozed off. He texted Donna, thinking it might be a fluke. Kids do silly things all the time, right?

But, no, it wasn’t silly, as she called him “Daddy” again the next morning. It quickly became his favorite name, above John and the Doctor, a nickname lovingly bestowed on him by his students and colleagues. He soon couldn’t imagine his life without her, and though he wasn’t always confident in his parenting skills, they loved each other, and that was enough.

At present, her sixth birthday was in two months, in April, and he wanted to do something special for her. Jenny was really big into the movie _Tangled._ Not that it was new, but she was old enough to enjoy it now. She was still young enough for make believe, still young enough for magic... he hoped. She was incredibly clever, top of her class at the private academy she attended (afforded by the inheritance from her parents’ estate), but surely she’d still enjoy someone dressed as her favorite Disney princess at her birthday party.

Thus, John had called a company to book some special visitors for the big day. He’d tell her that afternoon when he picked her up from school. Not to spoil the surprise, of course, but he knew she’d want to invite her friends, so they’d need to start getting invitations together. He figured Donna would be happy to help with all that. She’d do anything for her niece.

–

The big day arrived, and John sat on a bench in the park after everything was set up. He watched Jenny amongst all the children while they played a few games, content for a moment. He smiled when she waved from her perch on a slide and held out his arms for her after she took the short ride down.

She happily ran to him and took her place on his lap. “Thank you, Daddy.”

He kissed her hair and noticed a new vehicle in the carpark. “Jenny, love, if you look over there,” he said, nodding his head in the direction of the approaching visitors, “you’ll see our special guests have arrived.” He smiled as Jenny’s eyes grew wide as saucers.

“Is that… Rapunzel! It's Rapunzel!” She squealed with laughter and hugged him around his neck. She bounded off his lap and ran to the princess.

He raised an eyebrow when he didn’t see a Eugene. He walked over to the photographer, smiling when Rapunzel knelt down to speak with Jenny. Or to listen, rather, as Jenny rambled excitedly about all her favorite parts of the movie, which happened to be the whole movie. He admired how the woman patiently hung on Jenny’s every word. And her smile was... well, she was beautiful. Well-suited to dress as a Rapunzel. And she seemed strangely familiar.

“Our Eugene came down with the flu this weekend, and everyone else is booked out. Sorry, mate. We’ll send an updated invoice.”

He shrugged, but still gazed at his princess with the older princess. “Jenny doesn’t seem too upset about it. As long as she’s happy, that’s all I care about.”

“Mickey Smith, by the way. If you don’t mind, I’ll just go finish setting up.”

John looked to see him holding out his hand, and he shook it. “Thanks.” The next thing he knew, a familiar hand reached for his in his pocket and tugged on it.

Jenny smiled up at him. “Daddy, come meet the princess!”

He picked her up. “I think I already know one.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Who?” She put her hands on his cheeks and brought her face close to his and asked with all seriousness, “Do you know Rapunzel?”

He chuckled. “No, Jenny. You, you’re my princess.”

“I know that, Daddy, but there’s a _real_ princess over there. Well, I know she’s not _really_ real, but she looks so much like Rapunzel! Well, except for her eyes. Her eyes are brown, and the real Rapunzel’s are green, but she’s really good at pretending, and she’s still beautiful.”

He smiled at her honesty, and was thrilled that she was excited, and was still amazed at how she’d picked up his speech tendencies.

Jenny looked at Rapunzel. “Do you think she’s beautiful, Daddy?”

“Yeah, she is.” He looked to where Jenny was paying attention, blushing immediately when he saw Rapunzel’s rather fetching grin so unexpectedly near him. “Ehm... I mean, all princesses are beautiful, so, naturally, she would be, too.”

“Jenny is quite the young lady,” she remarked.

“Yeah, she’s very special, isn’t she?” He kissed Jenny's cheek.

The girl rambled on some more. “She says that Eugene couldn’t come today because he’s sick, but I think you would be a good Eugene. You could be her Eugene, right? I told her that, and she said that we need to ask you and my mum, but I told her I don’t have a mum. Only an Aunt Donna and Grandma and Papa Wilf, and I know they would all like it if you got to be somebody’s Eugene because they talk about it when you’re not around. Well, sometimes when you’re around, but they know you don’t like it when they talk to you like that.”

He coughed. He could feel his ears burning, meaning he’d turned a lovey bright shade of red. “Tell you what, sunshine, why don’t you go round up your friends? They might not know that Rapunzel is here. I think she’s going to read a story, and then we’ll take some pictures, and then we’ll do some cake and ice cream afterwards, yeah?”

“Okay!” She squirmed out of his arms and ran to join her friends on the playground equipment.

He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes firmly fixed on the ground. “Sorry. Kids, you know.”

She giggled. “It’s alright. I’ve worked enough of these. I've heard worse, trust me.” She heard lots of squealing from excited little girls. “Excuse me, I’m being paged.”

He simply nodded.

He didn’t feel brave enough to talk to her the rest of the afternoon, but he did watch her. And the more he watched her, the more he felt certain he’d seen her somewhere before.

Sometimes she’d glance at him, and he’d divert his gaze while he willed the blush in his cheeks away.

“She seems nice.” He jumped at the sound of Donna’s voice as all the girls lined up for pictures. Sylvia was all too happy to organize the photo line.

“What do you want, Donna?”

“For you to get her number.”

“She’s working right now, so that’s kind of impossible.”

“I could get it for you.”

“Don’t. Jenny already said enough earlier, but she can’t help herself. You, Donna, don’t you do anything.”

She held up her hands placatingly. “Alright, if you insist.”

“I do, ta.” He sniffed.

“It’s just that Jenny seems to like her a lot.”

“That’s because she’s dressed as her favorite Disney princess. Donna, honestly, she’s here for the party. I don’t know her and she doesn’t know us, and Jenny and I, we’re fine.”

“You are doing an amazing job with her.”

“Thank you.”

“And you’ll do fine with her, I know. But there will come a day when you’ll want a woman’s voice in her life.”

“I’ve got you. And Mum. More you than Mum.”

“I’ll be glad to help. I know you’re not one who likes to conform to societal standards and all that. You like sticking it to the man, or whatever. And I’m not saying anything needs to come of it, but why don’t you ask her for coffee? If nothing else, you might get a good friend out of the deal, someone else that Jenny can look up to.”

“I’m not doing that. I’ve already embarrassed myself enough in front of her.”

“You sure don’t mind looking at her, though. Been mooning over her all afternoon since she arrived.”

“I feel like I know her from somewhere, but I can’t quite place it.”

“Riiiight, that's it,” she drawled. “So go ask her where you might know her from.” She nudged him with her shoulder.

“I’m not going to ask her, Donna. She’s busy. I’ll figure it out later.”

“Alright. I’ll drop it.”

“And if I find someone and ask them to be a part of our lives, it’s not because I’d want to thrust the role of mother upon her. Of course Jenny is a deal breaker. She’d have to be open to being a mother, and Jenny would need to like her, too. I wouldn’t make any decision without her input. But she’d have to be someone I like, just for them. Someone I want to spend time with. If anything happens, it would have to be natural. And besides, today’s not about me. I’m here for Jenny.”

“Of course you are, little brother. She’ll remember this for a long time. Especially with pictures. I'll get her some nice frames for them.”

“Thanks. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy.”

Jenny grabbed his hand and tugged him away. “Come take a picture with me and the princess.”

Donna stifled a giggle as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Eyebrow me all you want, John.”

He made sure that Jenny was between him and Rapunzel for the few pictures they took and that his attention was always on her or the camera for all their different poses.

Rapunzel touched his arm when they were finished.

He nearly jumped.

She grinned at him, her tongue touching her teeth.

He stared.

“Would you like a few pictures with just the two of you? I can get all the kids over by the ice cream and cake for a moment.”

He took in Jenny’s hopeful expression. “Ehm, yeah. Thanks. That’d be nice.” He smiled warmly at the woman, noting the rosy hue that appeared in her cheeks.

“Alright,” she finally said, and she shepherded the group over to where Donna was waiting with the cake.

“Daddy?”

He broke his gaze and looked at Jenny. “Yes?”

“Why are you staring?”

He pulled her onto his lap, hoping to whatever deity existed Rapunzel didn’t hear that. “I am not. Now, what do you say we take a few pictures, just you and me, eh? Make a silly face!”

–

John didn’t talk to her as she left except to say thanks. Donna stepped in and saved him. Truth was, he really couldn’t speak. The more he watched her with Jenny, the more he tried to place where he knew her, and the more he fell in love with her. Well, more infatuated. Yeah, things would go back to normal once they resumed their routine during the week. He hoped, anyway.

He cuddled up with Jenny on her bed that night so he could read to her. Now that she was older, he allowed her to read some of the words as well, and he asked her questions along the way to help her understand the story. They were in the middle of _The Hobbit_ when Jenny put her hand on his and he stopped.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Jenny?”

“Am I ever going to have a mummy?”

He hesitated. He should have known that question would come up. “You had a mum, remember?”

“Yeah, but my first mum is not here, and I barely remember. What about you getting a mum for me?”

“I don’t know. Would you like me to get a mum for you?”

“I like you, Daddy. You do a good job, like how you make me pancakes with bananas and braid my hair. But it would be nice to have a mum.”

“Ah.”

“Miss Peth at school would like to be my mummy, and she is a nice teacher, but I don’t know if I want her to be my mummy.”

He rolled his eyes at the thought. “Yeah, I think that has more to do with me than wanting to be your mummy, so I won’t ask her, okay?”

“How come you lied to me?”

He set the book down straight away and met her eyes. “I would never lie to you, Jenny.”

“You did. You said you were not staring at Rapunzel and you did.”

“Oh." He blushed. "I’m sorry. I told you we aren’t supposed to do that, and I did. I suppose I was staring.”

“Why did you lie?”

“I didn’t want her to know.”

“Do you love her, Daddy? Like Eugene and Rapunzel?”

“Not quite.”

“Why not?”

“We don't know each other. I only met her today. It’s not like how it is in the movies.”

“Why not?”

“In the movies, they only have a short time to show how they fall in love. In real life, it takes a long time to know somebody and for them to know you. And in real life, you usually don’t tell people you think they’re pretty right away, like we did today. Some people might think that’s a little too much to know at first. And the Rapunzel from today, we don’t know each other at all in real life. I didn’t even ask for her name.” He would see it on the updated invoice, he thought. He hoped. He hadn’t checked his email at all after the party.

“I think she would be a good mummy.”

He smiled a little. “Why?”

“She is nice and kind and she is a really good listener. Just like a real princess. And I liked how she read to us today. And I think she’s more pretty than Rapunzel.”

“Prettier. You do, eh?”

“And she likes to look at you, too.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Does she, now?”

“Yes, and she looked away when you looked at her.”

Oh.

That might change things a bit. He thought he’d made himself out to be an idiot in front of her, but perhaps not. He really should go check his email. “Alright, let’s finish up this chapter so you can get some sleep. Fine?”

“Okay.”

–

Once Jenny had dozed off, he went to his room and prepared for bed. He held his mobile, thumb poised above the email icon. He took a deep breath and tapped it, scrolling for the name of the company and bringing up the PDF invoice.

_Rose Tyler_

Rose Tyler. He knew that name… how did he know her name?

He pulled up Facebook and typed it in the search bar.

They weren’t friends, but, yes, she was another lecturer at the university, in a temporary position until they could fill the posts. Art history and creative writing, an unusual combination.

He should maybe go see her on Monday, at least try. He could find her office. No problem at all.

Did he have the courage, he wondered?

Then he thought of how much Jenny liked her. And he thought about her smile, the one she gave him while they were taking pictures.

Yeah, he really should try, shouldn’t he?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DID JOHN EVER GO FIND ROSE? FIND OUT IN THIS UPDATE.

Just another Monday, Rose Tyler thought. Yep, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. She’d just completed her lectures for the day, and was now editing drafts from her students. 

Not that she minded ordinary. Her temporary position at the university was certainly more interesting than her tenure at Henrik's had ever been, certainly more fulfilling. She hoped it would lead to something more permanent. She’d love to move herself and her mum out of Bucknall House on the Powell Estate into a nicer flat. Maybe even travel for a bit. She’d love to be able to visit the famous sites and museums of all the art she lectured about outside of Europe.

The sound of a knock on her open door broke her concentration.

A man stood in the doorway. He was... yeah, the (very fit) (and apparently single, with really great hair and a smile that could melt marble) dad (with the beautiful, bright girl) from the birthday party over the weekend. And he wore a suit, brown with pinstripes. Brown tie with blue swirls. Old Converse trainers. Bit different from the jeans and open Oxford over a Star Wars t-shirt at the party. He pulled off both the casual and formal geek chic.

And he’d found her.

Oh, dear. Not that she minded seeing him again. In fact, she'd hoped she would someday. But this was completely unexpected. This could either be really good or really bad.

“Ehm, hi. Rose. I... just wanted to say thank you. For, you know, the birthday party. I never properly thanked you, aside from your due compensation. Jenny, she enjoyed it. It was all she talked about for the rest of the night. I enjoyed it, too, of course, but I thought I’d embarrassed myself pretty badly there, so it was hard for me to say anything to you, really.”

She stared at him, her jaw agape.

The awkward silence stretched on for a few seconds.

He swallowed. “Right. Well… I’ll just be going now.” He ducked his head and walked down the hallway.

Rose’s mind caught up with his leaving and she poked her head into the corridor. “Wait!”

He turned immediately.

“Y-you don’t have to go.”

He walked the few steps back to her door. “I don’t?”

“No. Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to show up at my office. That doesn’t really happen with our clients. I mean, it never happens, so I was… surprised. How did you find me?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “You looked familiar to me, and so I, ehm, found your name on the invoice and looked you up on Facebook. Sort of took off from there.”

A slow grin crossed her features. “Did you really?”

“Yeah. I’m standing here, aren’t I?”

She fiddled with her pen. “You know, John, if you wanted my number, you could have just asked for it.”

“That simple?” He grinned cheekily.

“You also seemed familiar to me, but I obviously didn’t stalk you on Facebook. I might’ve asked you, but I was working at the time. Can’t really break character. And it wouldn’t have been professional, seeing as you were a client." She bashfully smiled. "So maybe you couldn't have asked for my number.”

"Lucky I looked you up.” He leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms and his ankles. “I work over in science, lecture in a bit of everything. And I noticed that you lecture for two different departments. How’d you manage that?”

“Needs must for the university, I suppose. And it’s only temporary anyway until they can hire someone in both departments.”

“Oh, no, I’m sure it’s more than that.”

“I’m nothing special, I promise.”

“I know a little girl who seems to think differently, and her opinion isn’t one I take lightly.”

“She’s very perceptive, I noticed. And verbal about it.” She grinned, tongue between her teeth.

He blushed and tugged on his ear. “Yeah, sorry about that. Again.”

“I haven’t sent you away yet, have I?”

The corner of his lips turned up. “No, I suppose not.”

“So did you come all the way over here just to thank me and apologize?”

“Well,” he drawled, “I might have wanted to see if you’d be interested in coffee? Or whatever. Doesn’t have to be coffee.”

“Well,” she drawled in return, “I might be.”

His eyebrows shot straight up. “You are? Really?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

He blinked a few times. “Ehm…”

“You didn’t plan this far ahead, did you?”

“No. That’s generally how I approach life anyway.”

“You make things up as you go along?”

“But I do it brilliantly.” He grinned.

“Except for your daughter’s birthday party. You had to plan that in advance.”

“Yeah, she’s the exception.”

“That’s great. She clearly thinks the world of you.”

“And she is my world, so it seems like a good deal.”

She grinned and shifted her weight, and he grinned in return, and they stood in awkward silence for a moment before they broke out in laughter. 

"So when did you want to go?”

“Oh. Do you… maybe have time this afternoon? I'll call my mum to get Jenny from school. She won’t mind the extra time with her granddaughter. And neither will my granddad.”

“That quick, huh?”

“Jenny won’t mind, I promise.”

“I have some papers to grade, but I’ll have time after that.”

“Maybe you can text me when you’re finished?”

She pulled her mobile out of her pocket. “You can put in your number if you like.”

“I would like,” he replied. He handed the mobile back to her and smiled. “I will see you later.”

–

John handed Rose her cardboard cup of coffee and they started walking through campus. “Americano, splash of milk and one sugar.”

“Ta. Pret, best coffee around. How do you take yours, by the way?”

“Same but with three sugars.”

She wrinkled her nose and looked him over. “Coffee syrup. How are you so skinny?”

He shrugged. “Good metabolism? I run a lot. Well, I used to.”

“Oh. I, well. I wanted to get into that.”

He stopped and his eyes lit up. “Really?”

“I used to be in gymnastics. Got the bronze medal in Jericho Street Junior School Under Sevens.”

“Would you like to run sometime?”

She smiled at him over her cup and took a sip. “Might be fun.” 

“Alright.” He nodded and started walking again.

“You’d have to tell me about this later anyway, but Jenny told me she doesn’t have a mum.”

“Ha. She did, along with entirely too much other information.”

She laughed. “What’s the story, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Not at all. Jenny’s mum and dad passed away almost two years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“They were on a trip for their anniversary, and the plane went down. I was her godfather, and she had no living relatives to claim her.”

“So you adopted her?” She smiled.

“I did. Wasn’t really any other decision to be made about it.”

“Was that a huge adjustment for the both of you?”

“Nah, she’d stayed with me during the weekends occasionally. We’ve always enjoyed each other’s company. Yeah, I’ve had to change my lifestyle a bit, but it’s worth it. She’s so resilient. Every now and again she gets sad about it, but generally, she’s a happy kid.”

“Helps that she’s got someone like you to take care of her.”

“I try my best. Never thought I’d have a wee one, but here she is and here I am, and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”

“Never?”

“No. I was happy to work all the time, researched and published way more than tenure required. I was so busy unlocking the mysteries of the universe and the ‘what’ of it. I quickly found that Jenny gives me the ‘why.’”

“That’s awfully philosophical for a first date.”

“Sorry, I tend to get brainy if I’m not paying attention.”

“It’s alright. I enjoyed watching the both of you together, so it’s nice to hear more about that.”

“What about you, Rose Tyler? What gives you a why?”

“I like giving people a voice.”

“That explains the creative writing. What about the art history?”

“It’s still the same thing. Giving voice to people in the past, helping students to understand those stories, so maybe they can understand their own a bit better.”

He stopped and looked at her. “That’s... wow, that’s really profound. Far more philosophical than I was a moment ago.”

She smiled and fiddled with her knit scarf.

“Helping others find their why. That is not ‘nothing special,’ Rose. That’s really important.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s your story, then?”

She started walking again. “Oh, grew up on a council estate. My dad died when I was little, so it was just me and my mum. Did alright on my A levels, made it to uni. Worked myself through at Henrick’s. And now I’m here. I guess I’m just happy to have my foot in the door, get some experience for a bit until they fill the posts next semester.”

“What do you plan to do next?”

“I don’t know. I suppose the world is wide open.”

“How did you get into doing parties, you know, in costume and all?”

“Just needed the extra cash on weekends when I wasn’t working a shift at Henrick’s. And then I really liked it, getting to make kids happy. Makes me happy to see them happy, you know? Even if a few are right terrors. Not Jenny, of course.”

“And you’re good at it. Jenny and I thought you were a very convincing Rapunzel.”

“Thanks.” She lightly touched his arm. “Listen, I’m starving. Can we go for some chips? The best ones are in the canteen. My treat.”

“Oh, I’d love to.”

–

Rose grinned as they stepped up to the counter. 

Bill was behind the line, and that meant good chips. Her face lit up when she saw two of her three favorite patrons. “Rose! And the Doctor! Fancy seeing you here. Together. That never happens. Where’s Jenny, by the way?” 

“She’s not with me right now. Rose and I, actually, ehm, we’re kind of on a date.”

“Kind of? Nobody goes ‘kind of’ on a date. You either are or you’re not.”

Rose nudged him with her elbow. “We’re on a date. First one.”

“Not gonna lie, I’ve been lowkey hoping this would happen for a while. But your first date, and you come to the canteen for chips? You could go literally anywhere besides here for chips.”

Rose smiled. “You know chips are my favorite, so I’m not kidding when I say yours are the best around.”

She winked at Rose. “Right on. Cheers.”

Rose snagged a few packets of vinegar on their way to a table. “Why did she call you ‘Doctor?’”

“It’s a nickname the students gave me. Happened early on, and it’s sort of stuck.” He popped a chip in his mouth.

“Wow. You must be, like, really smart if they dropped your surname.” She smiled with her eyes as she bit into a chip.

“You have no idea.” He started rambling on about various research projects and stories about traveling.

Rose was happy to listen and eat. She interjected with questions here and there, laughed when he said something funny. But mostly she liked the sound of his voice. She thought he could read a phonebook and it would be the most interesting thing she’d ever heard.

He popped a chip in his mouth, which had long since gone cold. He scrunched his nose up. “Cold chip. That won’t do.”

She giggled. “You talked so much.”

“Did I? I’m sorry. I’ve got quite a gob. Stop me if I do it again, will you?”

“I don’t mind. You’re just excited when you get on something you care about. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Alright. So, Rose. You’ll have to forgive me, because I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. I really enjoyed this. I mean, aside from me talking the whole time.”

“Me, too.”

“That’s brilliant, because I’m wondering if maybe you’d want to do this again. Except next time I won’t talk so much.”

“John, it’s really no problem. And I would love to.”

“Great! Ehm… what are you doing Saturday night? Late, I mean.”

She tilted her head and peered at him. “What did you have in mind?”

“Just thought of it. It’ll be an adventure.”

“I’m always down for an adventure.”

“Good. Dress warm. I’ll bring you a blanket and I’ll need your address so I can pick you up. Is that alright?”

“We’ll be outside?”

“Yes, but I’m not giving more than that. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. I’ll pick you up. That’s all you need to know.”

“Fair warning, my mum will want to meet you if you do that.”

He grimaced. “Will she?”

“Yeah, I don’t go on many dates these days, so it’ll be a big deal to her. I’ll try to fend her off for as long as I can. You can text me from your car, I suppose.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t go on many dates?”

“Nah. Went through a couple of tossers a few years ago. I’m not really interested in all of that anymore.” She waved her hand nonchalantly.

He sat up straight. “I must be lucky if you consider me worthy of your time. You’re not worried I’m going to axe murder you or anything? You know, since I stalked you online?”

“Ha, no. Anyone who treats their kid like you do couldn’t possibly be an axe murderer.”

“Fair enough. Can I walk you somewhere?”

“Tube’s around the corner, ta.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night magic with a Nikon P900.

Rose opened the passenger door of the car and slid into the front seat of John’s royal blue beater Beamer. “Nice ride.”

He grinned and drove out of the carpark. “She gets the job done.”

“Figured a big-time lecturer like you would drive something a little less…”

“Ancient? I know, but I like her too much. I have to do a bit of repair every now and then, but I don’t see the sense in getting rid of a perfectly good vehicle.”

“Look at that radio,” she cooed, stroking the plastic on the console.

He tried to tamp down the feelings brewing inside from watching her delicate handling of his vehicle.

“You’ve got one of those… tape adapter things for a—” she reached down to pick up the item in question— “Sony Discman, John.” She laughed. “With an album from Owl City!” She laughed hysterically.

“Owl City is a perfectly acceptable musical choice!” he countered. Truth be told, he didn’t mind her poking fun at him at all.

“Jenny likes it, doesn’t she?”

“She does, as a matter of fact. She loves Fireflies.”

“That’s real sweet. What did you name her?”

“Bill.”

“Bill? After our favorite chip girl in the canteen?”

“It was Jenny’s idea. You know, she attends my lectures sometimes. She’s not even a student, but she’s so eager to learn. Hard to find kids eager to learn these days, even in the ones who pay to attend. She’s my favorite face to see every week. Sometimes I tailor my lectures just for her.”

“I didn’t know that about her.”

“I offered to tutor her for the hell of it. She declined, but I’m hoping if I pester her enough she’ll eventually cave.”

“That’s thoughtful of you.”

“And she’s offered to babysit for Jenny if I ever need it.”

“Might need to take her up on that now,” she said softly.

He smiled.

“Where are we going?”

“Out of town. Surrey Hills. We’ll start in Guildford.”

“Oh, I’ve heard that area's beautiful. I’ve never been.”

“You’re going now.”

“At night?”

“You can’t see the night sky in London, can you?”

She smiled. “I suppose not.”

–

They walked down the trail and chatted for a while, Rose holding the blanket and John carrying his bag and a torch on the way, until he stopped. “We’re nearly there. Just on the other side of these trees, to the top of this little hill in a clearing. We’ll get a good view from there.”

She eyed the dark grove. “Alright. I hope I don’t fall over any roots. It is dark, after all.”

“Nah, you won’t. Here, take my hand so you can see by the torchlight.” He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers.

“Right,” she drawled, slipping her hand into his. “So I can see.”

“What? Perfectly valid excuse.”

“If you wanted to hold my hand, you could have.”

“More fun this way. Come on.” He pulled her through the trees.

“Your skin is so soft, John.”

“Oi, I have very manly hands.” He pointed the torch at his hand. “Look at my manly hairy hands.”

“Very manly.” She patted his arm.

“Thank you.”

She giggled, but once they reached the other side of the trees, she gazed up at the sky. “I see why you picked this place.”

“And this evening. The moon’s at third quarter and the sky’s clear, so we can see a good bit of stars. But we're not here for the stars. And normally I’d suggest we run up the hill, but I’ve got this bag of equipment here and I’d rather not chance breaking it.” He tugged on her hand and they trekked up the small slope.

“Maybe another time. Ever brought Jenny out here?”

“Planning to. She’s too young to stay up so late yet.”

“Where is she tonight?”

“With Papa Wilf, my grandad. He’s the one who got me interested in the stars. Mum’s got a great hill behind her house and he’s out there with his telescope nearly every night it’s not raining or cloudy. Even in the winter. Used to take me with him as a young boy.”

“So you know he’s keeping her up late, then.”

“Probably. But, what am I gonna do? I couldn’t possibly break Wilf’s heart and tell him not to. Besides, she needs to learn from people other than me, and there’s not a better teacher than him.”

“He sounds real sweet.”

“Oh, he is. He’s the best grandad anyone could’ve asked for. Though, to be honest, he probably goes up to the hill anymore to stay away from my mum, Sylvia. Anything she says has two sides to it. Gives the _worst_ backhanded compliments, worse than any physical slap she could give.”

“My mum’s just very protective. If you survive her third degree, you’re golden. Especially if she offers shepherd’s pie. That’s her specialty. And she’s been known to slap a bloke or two herself.”

“I’ll be on the lookout for that.” He set his bag on the ground.

“What equipment did you bring? Your bag's too small for a telescope.”

“You’ll see. But first.” He fished around in the bag for a thermos and the two paper cups he’d brought. “Cocoa.”

Her jaw dropped. “First of all, that sounds amazing. Secondly, how did you fit those in that tiny bag?”

“I’m good at packing? I dunno. TARDIS brand makes the best bag, I’ve found.” He shrugged and held the items up for her. “Pour yourself a cup.”

“Tell me about your sister. Donna, right?”

“Yeah. Just as loud as my mother, but she doesn’t cut nearly as deep. Well, not in the same way. She’s been the voice of reason for me my whole life.”

“I hate to ask this, but your dad wasn’t at the party.”

“He passed a few years ago. Cancer. Probably why my mum’s been difficult lately. The loss was really hard on her.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What about you? Anyone else besides your mum?”

“Nope. It’s just been me and her. Can’t say I’ve always made it easy on her, but we’re stuck together now.”

He mounted a camera on a tripod.

“You brought me out here to look at a camera?”

“Not just any camera. I promise you’ll love it. And you didn’t pour any cocoa.”

“I can hardly do that with two cups in my hand.”

“Oh. Sorry, didn’t think about that.” He took the thermos from her hands and they worked together to pour the cocoa.

Rose took a sip. “Oh, this is gorgeous!”

“Yes, you certainly are in the moonlight.”

She stared for a moment, and then she laughed. “That was almost terrible, John.”

“Only almost? Can’t fault a man for trying. Now, let’s have a look at the equipment, shall we?” He pulled her over to stand in front of him and held out his cup. “Hold that for me.”

“Please?”

“Oh, alright. Hold that for me, pleeeeaaaase?” He fought a smile at her laughing as he reached around her to fiddle with the settings. “Are you ready for this?”

“For what?”

“I am taking you to the moon, Rose Tyler.”

“To the moon? It’ll be hard to do without a ship.”

“It’s easier than you think, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

“You know, John, I was really surprised when you found me the other day.”

He stopped and looked at her. “Why?”

“At the party, I thought for a moment you might fancy me. You certainly looked at me enough. And then you didn’t say anything. I was almost sad.”

“I thought I’d made myself out to be an idiot. You couldn’t possibly hold a good opinion of me after all that.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time a kid has tried to fix their father up, some of them while their he’s still attached.”

“That sounds terrible.”

“It is!” She laughed. “Anyway, the moon?”

“Right. Look at the moon in the sky.”

“Alright.”

“Look at the moon on the screen.”

“I’m looking.”

He zoomed in on the camera.

“What? That’s incredible! Look at how close it is!”

“I told you.”

“Look at all that detail. Look at the rays coming out from the craters, how far they go. God, she’s gorgeous. And you can see it moving across the screen. I know that’s the Earth spinning, but it’s moving so fast. I never think about it. Makes my head feel all weird.”

“I think about it a lot. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at 1,000 miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at 67,000 miles an hour. We’re falling through space right now, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world.” He looked at her.

She'd craned her neck so she could see him while he talked. “How do you deal with thinking like that all the time?”

“It’s my job to think like that.”

“I can see why you liked to work. That’s deep.”

“You can’t let it get to your head too much. Otherwise, you forget about the other people clinging to the skin of the Earth with you. Especially the tiny ones. Ready for the next one?”

“Where are we going now?”

“Let me find it, and then you can guess.”

“Fun game.”

“There. What are we looking at?”

“It’s red.”

“Yes.”

“Mars?”

“Cigar for the lady.”

She laughed. “What did you think when they found water on Mars?”

“I think it’s wonderful, but I wouldn’t recommend using it for anything. There’s bound to be all sorts of bacteria we couldn’t handle."

"Martian bacteria. Might turn us into aliens or something."

"Can you imagine the diseases we'd develop? And imagine bringing that back to Earth."

"Straight out of sci-fi."

"Right. Now, for the next two, I have to change the exposure a bit, so it might take a moment… aaaand, I think it’s ready.” He slowly zoomed in, bit by bit, allowing the camera to refocus.

Rose soon saw the familiar shape: a sphere surrounded by a large ring. “Is that... that’s Saturn. We're looking at Saturn through this camera.”

“That’s her. Saturn, the ringed planet, in all her glory.”

“Oh, my god,” she whispered. She reached up to wipe her cheek.

“Are you crying?”

“Only a little.”

“Why?”

“One, because it’s beautiful. And, two, I've been stuck in that tiny flat with my mum pretty much my whole life. Sometimes I forget there's more out there.”

He reached for her hand. "You really are so much more than you give yourself credit for, Rose."

"I'm not. I'm just a girl from the estate."

“But you're more than that. You're brilliant. And you’ve had more empathy in the few times I’ve seen you than most people could hope to have in a lifetime. You genuinely care about people and you have the ability to help anyone around you feel listened to and understood. That is a rare skill these days, and I find it to be very admirable.”

She wiped her face. “Silly of me to be crying. Bit much for a second date, innit? You must think me mad. I'm sorry.”

“I don't. And you have nothing to apologize for, I promise.” He felt her shiver and grabbed the blanket before she could say she was cold. He wrapped it around him and passed the ends to her, and she held it closed over her collarbones.

“Which did you want to show me next?”

“Jupiter. But it’s not just Jupiter.”

“Alright.”

He threaded his arms underneath hers and worked for a moment. He pointed at the screen. “See these little white dots around the planet?”

“Are those… the moons?”

“Those are moons.”

“That’s incredible!” She laughed.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“You told me you’d take me to the moon, but it’s more like you brought the moon to me.”

“If I could take you, I would, though.”

She turned all the way around to face him. “Do you think there’s life out there?”

He wrapped his arms around her so he could keep her surrounded with the blanket (at least that’s what he would’ve told her if she’d said something about it) and tried to maintain any intelligent thought when she held on to the fabric of his open Oxford. “Intelligent, you mean? Life?”

“I dunno. Anything. Spiders on the moon. What if it’s really a giant egg and there’s a space dragon inside or something?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I can see why you’re so good with kids.”

She giggled. “What do you think, though?”

“I think anything’s possible. Maybe not a dragon inside the moon, because that’s ludicrous, but out of numberless planets and Earth’s the only one that has fully formed civilizations? That’s got to be a stretch, especially now that we’re finding Earth-like planets that could very well sustain life like ours. There is life out there, though. We’ve got a little critter here on Earth called the tardigrade. It can survive in the most extreme environments, even the insane amount of radiation out in space. Just sort of… dies until it finds an environment more suitable. Really, all it wants to do is drink water on moss. Looks like a microscopic eight-legged bear. Cute little bugger, and it’ll be around long after we’re gone. All that to say, there’s got to be more out there, and we just haven’t discovered it yet.”

She smiled. “Okay.” She turned around and looked up at the sky. “Anything else impressive you wanted to show me?”

“I’ll save it for another time. In December, you can zoom in on the Orion nebula.”

December. A whole eight months away. The length of time was not lost on him.

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts. “You must be joking.”

He rested a hand on her waist. “I swear I’m not. December. You’ll see.”

She looked up at him. “I’m holding you to it.”

His heart sped a little. It wasn’t lost on her, either.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> third date, important discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This'll be the last update for this weekend. Y'all comments and kudos made me so excited to post more than I thought I would. I'll hopefully be able to get back to this next weekend.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Still unbeta'd, so please excuse any mistakes.

The floodgates opened after the third date. 

Finals had stolen a bit of their time, but the semester was over, and they were up for a bit of celebrating.

It was simple fish and chips and a movie at John’s flat. Rose decided on  _ The Mummy _ when she skimmed through his DVD collection. “Timeless classic. I like your taste,” he noted, pouring two glasses of wine, and then he realized what he’d unintentionally implied. “In movies,” he added quickly. Still, he wondered, too soon?

Maybe not. She’d definitely brushed her fingers against his when she took her glass from his hand.

It was Evie’s drunk rambling that set Rose off. She was bubbly from her second glass and couldn’t stop laughing.

John looked down at her nestled into his side, and she looked up at him, biting her lip, trying to hold herself together. Perhaps it was the wine that stole his inhibition. Maybe it allowed him to realize how much he’d come to adore this woman in the short time he’d known her. 

He ducked his head to kiss her, and she was sweet from the wine. He cupped her cheek when she parted her lips, inviting him in, and it went on for a few moments.

And when he pulled away, he admired the flush on her cheeks that he knew wasn’t from the alcohol.

That wasn’t even the best part of the evening. It was several hours later when he woke up to a crick in his neck and the DVD menu music playing on a loop. When he looked down at the weight pressing into his side, Rose was still there.

And she was perfect. As perfect as Jenny, in his eyes.

From then on, they were attached at the hand, often times at the mouth. Time spent together was wasted if they didn’t have some form of physical contact, aside from running sessions. Lucky for them, Jenny was still in school for the month of May, and they were able to grab plenty of days together.

Something was nagging Rose, though. The time to pick Jenny up from school would arrive, and they’d part ways. She was never invited to stay for dinner, never invited to spend time with her on the weekends, though they still went on dates. 

It was one of those weeknights when Rose decided something needed to change. She and Jackie were on the sofa watching some telly.

“Mum, I’m worried about something.”

Jackie turned down the volume. “Yes, love?”

“I know it’s different when there’s a kid, but I haven’t spent any time with John and Jenny together.”

“He’s never said anything?”

“No. It’s always just us.”

“Have you said anything?”

“Not yet.”

“You should.”

“I wonder what the endgame is. Surely he wouldn’t date anyone without Jenny in mind.”

“Are you ready for that, though? Being a mum? That’s what you’re implying.”

“I can’t be ready if I don’t spend time with her.”

“Good point. Having the responsibility of a child… it’s a lot, Rose. It’ll be a little easier since she’s grown some, and since her parents haven’t been in the picture for a while. But maybe he doesn’t want you to feel like he’s forcing you to be a mum. From what you’ve told me, I don’t think he’s doing this intentionally. You need to talk to him, sweetheart.”

“Yeah.”

“Look at how I did things. I didn’t date until you were older. Nobody could replace your dad anyway, and I didn’t want to deal with a man tucking tail as soon as you were in the picture. I never wanted you to get attached to someone and then they leave you. Once you were older, it didn’t matter as much.” 

“Does he not trust me? I’m always asking about her.”

She smoothed her hand over Rose’s hair. “Oh, sweetheart. Just talk to him. I said all that because I don’t think he would’ve pursued anything if he didn’t want to try. He loves that girl more than anything, from what you’ve told me.”

“I know.”

“And remember that Jenny matters, too. It would be a big adjustment for her to share her daddy with someone else.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

“It’s alright. This is new for you, and him, too. Will be for Jenny. You just need to talk to him. I’m sure it’ll clear things right up.” After a few moments, she added, “I’ve not even spent that much time with him. You never bring him in when he comes to pick you up. I only get to wave to him in the carpark.”

“Oh, Mum. I’m sorry.”

“I only want you to be happy. And if he makes you happy, then I am. I know I’ve been a bit much at times, but it’s only because I love you.”

“We’ll have dinner sometime.”

“I’ll make shepherd’s pie. As long as he’s not being stupid.”

Rose giggled. “He is stupid sometimes, but in a good way.”

–

“John?”

“Yeah, Rose?”

“When is Jenny going to be in this picture?”

He set his Chinese takeaway box on the coffee table and turned to face her. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not... it’s not like I don’t know you’re a package deal. I’ve always understood that. If I’d had a problem with that, I would’ve never agreed to a date with you in the first place. It’d be different if we’d met at a pub, and I’d never been around her. But I already know her, and here we are, almost two months into us, and you haven’t brought up spending time with her at all. I never stay for dinner when you pick her up from school. As much fun as I’ve had with you—”

“I didn’t want you to feel like I was imposing.”

Her mum was right. She sighed when he took her hand in his. “I’m not naive. When there’s a child already in the picture, things are unusual.”

“Of course.”

“I have to think that you’d only be doing what’s in her best interest. You wouldn’t be spending time with me if you didn’t think it would be worth it for her. I know you drift around through time and space in that big brain of yours, except where she’s concerned. But, John, it’s not really fair to me… or her, for that matter, if she’s such a big part of your life, but you aren’t letting me be a part of that. I have to think that her opinion matters to you, too.”

“I’m sorry, Rose.”

“It feels a little like you don’t trust me.” She sniffed.

He brushed a tear from her cheek. “No, no. It’s not that. Blimey, I have no idea what I’m doing, so maybe I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I’m sorry I made you feel like that. But, Rose, consider for a moment that there  _ are _ two people. I already know you like Jenny, and it means the world to me that you want to spend time with her and you understand how important she is to me. It really does. Really. I can’t say that enough.”

“But?”

“I want to make sure you like me, too.”

She smiled and bit her lip, noticing his eyes dart to the motion, her heart swelling at the relief in his eyes. 

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. He hummed as she pressed her lips to his and leaned into him, and they lazily exchanged lips and tongues.

When she pulled away, she smiled. “Have I convinced you?”

“I don’t know. I might need a bit more.”

She giggled. “You’re so ridiculous.”

“We could go to the zoo. That’s safe, right?”

“Sounds fun to me.”

“I’ll talk to her tomorrow. We’ll plan for the day after?”

“Sunday’s good.” She kissed him again.

After a few moments of wandering hands and lips and sighs, he asked, “Bed?”

“Nope,” she answered quickly, lifting her shirt over her head.

“Okay.”

–

“Listen, sweetheart. Do you remember Rapunzel from your birthday party?”

Jenny nodded. “Yes. I look at my pictures a lot. That was fun.”

“Well, I found her in real life. And I’ve been spending some time with her. That’s what all my meetings have been about. And before you argue with me, I didn’t lie to you. I really was having meetings, just with her.”

“Really?” She smiled.

“I thought we might all go to the zoo together. Does that sound fun to you?”

“Yes!”

“Here’s the thing about that, Jenny. Do you remember that you said you thought she’d be a good mum?”

“Yes.”

“I think so, too, especially now that I know her a lot better. But you can’t tell her that.”

“Why not?”

“Because she needs to want to be your mum on her own. So you can’t ask her or mention it to her. Do you understand?”

“I think so.”

“Think of it like it’s a secret between you and me. And when the right time comes, we’ll tell her. Alright? But not before then. It’s very important.”

“Okay.”

“And her real name is Rose.”

“Like the flower!”

He smiled. “Yes, like the flower.”

“Can I get her one?”

“Maybe not this time. If she meets us at the zoo, where would she put it? She would have to carry it around and the stem might break or the petals might tear.”

“Yeah. Maybe another time, then.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, though, and she would say thank you. And now it’s time to sleep.” He kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in.

“Good night, Daddy.”

“Good night, Jenny.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little bit longer chapter, but it's a really important one. Feels and a surprise cameo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think one more chapter after this. I know y'all were looking forward to the zoo, but I didn't intend that to be a big thing, lol. Just so nobody gets their hopes up. It's the part after that's important. Hope you like it!
> 
> A while ago, jem reblogged a video of a tiny crab, which inspired the scene it's in.
> 
> Unbeta'd, so please forgive any mistakes.

John’s mobile vibrated in his pocket.

_“See you at 10?”_

_“Jenny is entirely too excited. She woke up before I did. Had cartoons on the telly and everything.”_ Then he sent, _“10 can’t come soon enough.”_

He smiled when she sent him a kiss face emoji.

Rose texted again when they neared their stop on the bus to say she was already there and had her ticket.

John scanned the crowd at the entrance for Rose, but it was Jenny who saw her first. She’d dropped his hand and ran full speed, and he panicked for a moment until he realized why. He laughed when he saw Rose’s wide grin and Jenny wrapping her arms around Rose’s hips. He joined them, hugging her from the side and kissing her cheek.

Jenny tugged on her hand so they could enter the zoo and hardly her go the whole day, even when she wasn’t holding John’s hand. She eventually ran out of energy, as bouncy as she had been, and John hoisted her onto his shoulders as they walked to the bus stop. They sat on a bench and watched the doubledeckers pass.

Rose looked down the street. “Mine’ll be one of the next, so I suppose I’ll see you both later, yeah? Let me know what you want to do.”

Jenny stuck out her bottom lip. “You’re leaving?”

She looked at her, unsure of what to say, almost smiling at the resemblance to John. “Well…”

He reached for her hand. “We thought you might join us for dinner at our flat, if you want. I make a mean mac and cheese.”

She grinned. “I’d love to.”

From then on, the summer flew by with all sorts of fun memories made.  

John wasn’t ready for the semester to start, having enjoyed Rose and Jenny together too much. He wanted to get as much time with them as he could, so he took a night to plan a short trip, and presented it the next time they were all together. “Let’s all do something fun. One last hurrah for the summer.”

Rose looked at him. “What did you have in mind?”

“Beach holiday. We can drive down to Dorset. The cliffs are gorgeous.”

“Are you thinking of the town that was all over the news a few years ago?”

“Yeah. I read it was a beautiful area, though. I booked us two rooms at one of the inns for this weekend.”

Rose shrugged and smiled. “Might be fun.”

“What do you think, Jenny? We can fly kites on the beach. The wind is always good as it comes off the ocean.”

“Let’s go, Daddy!”

\--

They parked across from the Trader’s Hotel.

Rose glanced around the street. “It is beautiful here. You picked a good place.”

He smiled. “Thanks. As long as you both are happy, that’s all I care for.” He lifted their luggage out of his trunk. Jenny wheeled her own pink suitcase and took Rose’s hand as they walked in and approached the quaint check-in table. John always loved the sight of that, the two of them walking hand in hand.

The blonde behind the computer froze when she saw him and studied his face.

His smile faded. “Ehm, we’re here to check in. I’ve got two rooms.”

The woman blinked and shook her head. “Right, sorry. Name?”

“Noble.”

She looked down at some papers.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, sorry.” She slid a few papers across the desk along with two keys. “You just looked familiar is all. Do you happen to have family in the area?”

He tugged on his ear. “Ehm, no.” He glanced at the papers and picked up a pen.

“Ah. First time here?”

“Yep. Just wanted a nice weekend away, me and my daughter and my girlfriend.” He placed the pen on the counter.

“Oh.” Her eyes went a little wide for a second at the sight of Rose, and she plastered a smile on. “You three have a lovely time.” She replaced the paperwork with a glossy flyer on the counter. “Here’s a list of local restaurants you might try.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” He picked up the flyer and keys and returned to Rose and Jenny.

Rose waited until they were in their room before she wrinkled her nose. “That lady… Becca, right? She was odd.”

John shrugged. “I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm. Let’s get out on the beach, yeah?”

\--

They walked a fair way down the sand, searching for a less crowded stretch to enjoy. They’d rented an umbrella, and John toted it along with their chair while Rose carried their beach bag on her shoulder. They found a quiet area with only one other couple seated some yards away. John planted the umbrella into the sand and unfolded their chair. He sat and pulled some sunblock out of the bag, at which Jenny groaned. “It’s important. I don’t want you to spend the rest of the weekend in pain because you got a burn on your fair skin.”

Rose took the bottle from his hand. “Want me to help?”

Jenny nodded as Rose sat in front of John.

She patted the space in front of her. “Come on, hop on our chair and I’ll get your back.”

“Thank you,” he murmured in her ear.

She patted his leg.

Wordlessly, he slipped Rose’s cover up off her shoulders and stuck his hand out for the bottle when she was finished with it.

Rose began rubbing the white liquid into Jenny’s skin as John started in on her. She bit her lip and smiled as his fingers spent an inordinate amount of time underneath the back of her bikini top. “Don’t really need it there, John.”

“Just being thorough,” he quipped.

“I want to make a sandcastle,” Jenny announced as she bounded off the chair and started digging through their bag for a shovel and bucket.

“You go ahead, love, and Rose and I will be with you in a minute. I need to finish her back, and then I’ll need her help.”

“That will take too long, Daddy.”

“I know.” He trailed a finger down Rose’s spine, pleased when she rolled her shoulders in response.

“We’ll be there before you know it.” Rose encouraged. “Here, make sure you get your arms, and legs, too.”

John squeezed more liquid into his hand and started on her lower back. He took his time, making long, lazy circles. It was only then he glanced down the beach at the couple not far from them.

A blonde leaned back on a man, her eyes shielded by large, black sunglasses, and she was lost in a book. She looked startlingly like Rose, with the same facial structure and similar messy bun. She was maybe a few years older than the woman sitting in front of him. But the man in particular caught his attention. His locks were longer and he sported a good amount of facial hair, but his profile was remarkably like his own. If he didn’t know any better, he’d’ve said that was himself in ten years or so.

“John?”

He’d stopped massaging her skin. “Sorry.” He moved his hands again, glancing at the man a second time, who was now staring at him. Before long, he gazed out at the waves again. John shook his head. “Ehm, I think you’re good. Switch?”

Rose leaned back and looked at him demurely. “You sure?”

He smiled warmly. “Yeah.” When they’d switched places, he leaned back into her.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around him. “Little hard to get sunblock on your back this way.”

He craned his neck to look at her. “Is it?”

She laughed. “Sit up, you git. We can come back to this later.”

He huffed. “Fine.”

She patted his back and squeezed some liquid into her hand. “C’mon. We’ve got a sandcastle to build.”

\--

They’d chosen to eat dinner at a little cafe. Jenny wanted pizza, and they’d seen good reviews for it. Once they’d taken their seat and ordered, she asked Rose to draw with her.

He glanced around the room, and over in the corner he saw the same couple from the beach. The woman’s back was to him, but he caught the man’s eye and they stared at one another for a moment.

The man glanced at Rose and furrowed his brows for a moment, looking at his date, who was reading the menu. He looked at John again.

He shrugged.

The man looked at him for another moment before nodding. He returned his attention to the woman across from him.

John shook his head before he glanced down at Rose and Jenny. They were playing a game with scribbles. Jenny would make a scribble, and Rose would complete the picture. John took his own turn and they were lost in the fun.

\--

Jenny leaned on John as they watched a movie together. She snored quite loudly, which caught the attention of the two adults.

Rose bit her lip to keep a giggle from slipping out as she looked at him.

“I’ll head over to my room. You put her to bed,” she whispered. The show wasn’t quite over, but she was a bit sleepy herself.

John pouted slightly as he watched her make her way around to the adjoining door of their rooms by his side of the bed. She smiled at him again before closing the door behind her. She slipped out of her day clothes into her sleeping shorts and a tank top and climbed into bed. Just as she was about to turn the light off, the door opened.

John poked his head in. “Mind if I visit for a few moments?”

She grinned. “Not at all. Come on.” She scooted to the side and patted the mattress next to her. “Were you alright today?” she asked as they nestled in together.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You seemed kinda distant at times. Jenny asked why you were being weird.”

“Oh.” He chuckled. “It was weird. Don’t laugh, but I saw some guy who looked like me.”

“Was he with a woman who looked like me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Ehm, yeah, he was, funnily enough.”

“That was weird.”

“I think he thought so, too.”

“Wait." She sat up slightly. "That was the detective on the case from a few years ago. I remember now. Oh, my god, the both of you look just alike!” She pulled up a video on her mobile of the harrowing press conference.

“He’s really Scottish,” John noted.

“I kind of like the beard.”

He rolled onto his side and looked down at her. “I’m not doing that, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Not even a little bit of scruff?” She caressed his smooth cheek. “The extra texture might be fun.”

“Oh, you drive a hard bargain, Miss Tyler.”

“So you might consider it?”

“Maybe someday.”

She squealed a little and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

He chuckled. “So, I looked it up, and there’s some beaches over in East Devon. Wanna go tomorrow? They’ll have interesting rockpools.”

“Yeah.”

\--

John woke the next morning with his arm around Rose, smiling when he realized they’d fallen asleep with the lamp still on. The morning light was growing brighter along with the realization and a tiny bit of guilt that he’d left Jenny in their room by herself. He gently extracted himself from the sleeping woman, relieved when she only stirred slightly.

When he poked his head in the door, Jenny had cartoons playing on the telly. He smiled when she didn’t notice him and stepped in the room. He cuddled up next to her on the bed and his heart warmed when she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back last night.”

“It’s okay. You were with Rose because you love her. Mummies and daddies sleep together. Even if I can’t call her my mum yet, she’s like a mum because she loves you.”

“I love you, too, Jenny.”

“I know. It’s okay if you want to stay with her. I sleep in my bed at home.”

The corner of his lips turned up. “That’s true. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Banana pancakes. I’m going to ask what Rose wants.” She climbed off the bed.

“Wait, Jenny—" He scrambled to catch her, but she’d opened the door before he could get to her. He poked his head in her room tentatively to see Jenny flopping on the bed next to Rose, who was, thankfully, awake.

“Good morning.” She grinned at him as Jenny snuggled up to her.

He scratched the back of his neck. “She wanted to ask what you wanted for breakfast.”

Rose smiled at her. “That’s nice of you.”

“I didn’t know if you were awake,” he continued.

She looked at him. “It’s okay.”

“What do you want for breakfast?” Jenny asked.

“Let’s see what’s in town. Can you grab that card on the table for me?”

She scooted over and picked it up from the nightstand and they read it together.

John watched them. Why was he being so weird? He loved them both. They all spent plenty of time together, so what exactly was he on about?

That was just it, wasn’t it? Now he had two people to love. He was on his own for so long as an adult, completely independent, and then there was Jenny, and he had her all to himself. And then he met Rose, and he’d had her to himself for a while, too. And while they all spent time together, Rose never stayed at his flat if Jenny was there. Until now, his life had been neatly compartmentalized. He knew what to do with Rose and what to do with Jenny.

This was their first time overnight together. He’d prepared for going to the beach and eating out, as they’d done plenty of similar things. But this, this was foreign to him. Something new.

“John, you can come over here with us.” Rose tilted her head and studied him.

It hit him then: right there in front of him was his family. They were all still in their pyjamas, trying to figure out where to go for breakfast.

He wanted nothing more than to make the both of them happy, and failing them terrified him. But he had nothing to fear, he realized, because they were happy with each other. Rose understood that she might be awakened by a six-year-old, and Jenny felt free enough to do so.

It was all new, and his big, intelligent brain hadn’t figured out how to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but it seemed that Rose and Jenny had done that for him. He simply needed time to adjust to a new dynamic.

“You alright?” Rose asked.

He gently smiled. “Yeah. I am.”

“Well, then, come over here.”

He flopped onto the bed next to Jenny and plucked the flyer from Rose’s hand.

“Can I turn on CBeebies?”

“Absolutely.” Rose handed her the remote.

John had a hard time concentrating on the words of the page.

“Seriously, are you alright?”

He looked at her. “Never better.”

Once Jenny went back to the other room to change for the day, Rose scooted over next to John. “What was wrong earlier?”

“Needed to realize something.”

“I really wouldn’t have minded if she woke me up. Would’ve been nice, actually. If that’s what you were worried about.”

The corner of his lips turned up. “Sorted that. We’ve never had you as part of our morning routine.”

“Did that throw you?”

“Only for a moment. Not because of you at all, I promise. How comes you don’t like it when I wake you up in the mornings?”

She raised an eyebrow and her eyes wandered down the length of his body and back to his. “You’ve never woken me up properly.”

His eyes lit up for a millisecond, and then he tried play it cool. He rolled onto his side. “Really? Tell me more.”

She threw her leg over his hip and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I probably shouldn’t with a child in the next room.”

He pulled her closer and smoothed his hand down her leg. “Sounds properly improper.”

A swimsuited child climbed on top of John. “I’m ready to go but you’re not!”

“Sorry, sunshine. And you can’t wear only your swimsuit to a restaurant. You need to put on some clothes.”

Rose held her arm up and Jenny giggled as she nestled between them.

John beamed at Rose. “At this rate we might never leave.”

“But you promised we’d go to another beach today!”

“Aw, I know, Jenny, but I like being right here too much.”

“But you promised, John,” Rose whined, and Jenny giggled.

He groaned. “I fear I’ll be outnumbered from now on.”

\--

The beach in East Devon did, in fact, have fantastic rockpools. They stepped into a pool and scanned the shallow water for interesting life. There, just at Jenny’s feet, was a tiny blob of rocks scurrying away.

“Ah, there we go.” John knelt and scooped up the little six-legged critter. “Jenny, have a look.”

She brought her face close to the little guy as it tentatively crawled across his hand, curiosity written in her eyes.

“You can touch it gently if you like.”

“Is it a spider?”

He chuckled. “No.”

“It looks like a spider.”

He turned it over and it curled up its legs over its belly. “It’s a little crab, a decorator crab. They cover themselves with things to blend into their environments. And you can see its wee pinchers here.” He gently poked at the appendages.

Jenny stuck out a finger to pet one of his legs and smiled. She held his wrist and slowly pulled his hand close to Rose. “See?”

“Oh, he’s adorable.” She smiled brightly at Jenny’s hopeful expression.

“He’s not that cute,” John mumbled.

“Oh, yes you are,” she cooed at it.

He slowly turned the crab over in his hand. “I think he’s probably ready to go home, yeah?”

Jenny waved as he scuttled away. “Bye, crab!”

They looked around for a while longer before deciding to move down the beach.

Jenny grabbed Rose’s hand. “Come on, Mummy!”

Rose stopped. “What did you call me?”

John turned to see his daughter’s wide eyes and trembling lip. “Oh, come here, Jenny.” He scooped her up and walked down the beach with her a few paces. He sat on the sand near the edge of another pool and held her in his lap.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Oh, Jenny. It’s alright.”

“But you told me not to!”

“I know. It’s alright.”

“Will she still want to be my mummy?”

“I think so.”

“Did I ruin it?”

“No, sweetheart.”

“But you told me it was important.”

“I did. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s not your fault.”

Her lip trembled again. “I just want a mummy.” She buried her face in his neck and sobbed.

“I know. I know, love. I’m sorry.” Nothing felt worse in the world to him than to hear her crying.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Rose sat next to them at the edge of the pool. “Anything I can do?”

Jenny peeked at her.

Rose smiled gently at her. “It’s alright, Jenny. I’m not upset.”

Jenny held out her arms to Rose and climbed over into her lap.

They all sat quietly for a while, until Rose noticed something in the water. “Jenny, if you look behind you in the pool, you’ll see something special.”

Jenny slowly turned her head. “Is that a starfish?”

“It is. Go on, let’s have a look.”

She slipped out of Rose’s lap into the water and walked to it.

Rose knelt in the water and placed her hand on Jenny’s back. “You can pick it up, but keep it in the water. Just hold it real close to the top of the water without taking it out.”

“Why can’t I take it out?”

“The water is their home. It’s like how we can be underwater for a moment, but we can’t live there because we can’t breathe.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Jenny gently placed it back on the sand where she’d found it and smiled at Rose.

“See? All better.”

Jenny hugged her around the neck.

“John, did you want a look?”

He only lifted his eyes to hers then. “Nah.” He looked out at the waves. “I’m tired of the beach. Want to find some ice cream?”

Rose tilted her head as Jenny whole-heartedly agreed. He wouldn’t look at her, but when she held his hand, he gently squeezed it.

\--

Rose sat on her bed, her fingers laced together, reflecting on the day.

Jenny had called her Mum.

Of course, that was where things were heading. And it was completely understandable that she’d done it.

The weight of it hadn’t hit her until then. She had all sorts of mixed feelings. A sort of delight, knowing that Jenny wanted Rose to be in her life as much as she hoped to be one day in the future. A sense of dread. What if she was a terrible mother? She wasn’t prepared for it at all. To be responsible for the development of another human being… the prospect of it seemed daunting.

John poked his head in the room. He’d mentioned earlier that they should have a talk about it.

She looked at him, and his eyes fell away. “Please come in?”

He nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. She moved next to him and laced her fingers with his. She rested her head on his shoulder and they sat in silence until John took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry about today.”

“Why?”

“I never brought you into this because I was looking for someone for her.”

“I know.”

“It wasn’t even on my radar when I met you. We were happy together, and then we met you, and you’ve thrown our whole world into a new orbit. You were all she talked about the night of her party, and I don’t mean you as a character. She liked _you._ Most of the time you’re all she talks about when you’re not around. My grandad knows more about you than I do. You’ve seen the pictures she draws on the fridge.”

“I’ve got a collection of my own.”

“Right. And if we’d met under different circumstances, I’d’ve asked for your number anyway.”

“John, it’s alright. I told you a while ago, I understand there’s two of you. If I wasn’t open to being her mum, I wouldn’t be here. I just… maybe I wasn’t counting on being called that so soon. Took me by surprise.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I know how it is to grow up with one parent. And it’s an adjustment for everyone, even me.”

“You’re alright with it? The last thing I want to do is push you away because you feel like I’m forcing anything on you.”

“You’re not, I promise.”

“Do you mind if I sleep over there tonight?”

“Not at all.”

He hugged her. “Thank you.”

\--

Rose stirred when she felt arms around her and lips on the back of her neck. She hummed and shifted.

“Good morning, Rose,” a voice rumbled near her ear. A hand traveled up the front of her sleeping shirt.

She giggled and stretched a little more sensually than she normally would. “What are you doing?”

“Waking you up properly.”

She moaned, arching into his touch until she stilled his hand. “John, your daughter is sleeping in the next room.”

“Is that a challenge?”

She craned her neck to see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and his tongue touching the back of his teeth. “You couldn’t be quiet if your life depended on it.”

He tilted his head and squinted, pondering. “I could be if needs must.”

“You could not. I’m just that good.”

He ducked his head again near her ear. “That is absolutely true.” He licked and nibbled on her earlobe and kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear, grinning when she rubbed her thighs together.

“Did you lock the door?”

“Yes, but that’s not the most important question at the moment.”

“And that is?”

“Who said I’m the one who needs to keep quiet?” He kissed her neck and reached inside her knickers.

\--

“Rose, we’re alright, aren’t we?”

She rolled onto her back to look at him. “Of course we are. Do you think I would’ve let you do all that if we weren’t?”

“I suppose not.”

“You didn’t wake me up like that to make sure I wasn’t cross?”

“Nah. I wanted to.”

“Alright.”

He laced his fingers with hers. “I’m so glad I met you.”

She smiled. “Me, too.”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“Hey, I’m not leaving you and Jenny.”

“I worried last night that yesterday was too much.”

“No, it was fine. I promise.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

She spoke again. “I’m worried I’ll be a terrible mum.”

He furrowed his brows. “You kidding me?”

“No. What if I’m not good at this?”

“Jenny or not, you’d be an amazing mother. I’m not just saying that to butter you up. I mean it.”

“Did you tell her not to call me Mum?”

“I did. I thought it was important at first. I didn’t want to put any pressure on you or to seem like I was using her to manipulate you. I wanted the choice to be totally up to you. What if somewhere along the line you decided you didn’t want to stay with us? You know how hopeful kids can be. They get excited about something and run with it, and I didn’t want her to get her hopes up. She’s already lost one mother, and I didn’t want her to be too heartbroken if… you know. I realize all that may sound like I thought you’d pull a runner, but it’s not, I swear.”

“That’s understandable. You didn’t know me, and I didn’t know the both of you, other than what I’d seen. And you never know what will happen with people. It’s a delicate situation, so I appreciate your consideration.”

He smiled gently, and then inhaled sharply. “I suppose, though, that was too much pressure on her. She’s just a child, as smart as she is. She’s only a child, and I… maybe I expected too much. If she were a few years older, I could have explained all of this to her better.”

“Neither of us knows how to do this properly.”

“Oh, but that’s life, innit? Nobody really knows what they’re doing.”

“I didn’t know how it would feel to have my heart filled with two people.”

“I don’t think I did, either. I love you, Rose.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he nestled into her. They remained that way for a while until they heard a knock on the adjoining door.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I suppose we need to check out sometime this morning. I’ll go get her packed up.”

“Hey,” Rose said.

He looked back at her. “Yeah?”

She sat up behind him and caressed the back of his head. “I love you, too.”

He smiled and leaned his head to kiss her for a moment.

_“Daddy!”_

Rose giggled.

“I’m coming, Jenny!”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finishing this! Thank you for reading, and thank you for all the kudos and comments.

December rolled around, and the semester was on the verge of ending for both him and Rose, who had secured a position in a secondary school.

Jenny looked at her dad while he put her to sleep. “When are we going to ask Rose to be my mummy?”

“Soon.”

“When soon?”

He smiled. He’d been planning it for a while. “What about tomorrow night?”

She grinned. “Okay.”

“I need to spend some time with her first. You’ll spend the night with your Aunt Donna and Papa Wilf, and we’ll drive by later.”

“And Grandma?”

“Yeah, her too.”

\--

“Where are we going this time?” She slid into the passenger seat of Bill the car.

He turned the key in the ignition. “It’s December. I made you a promise.”

She thought for a moment and smiled brightly. “You did.”

“I even made cocoa again. Had some time after the last final this afternoon. Lucky for us, the sky is clear. We’ll get a great view. We won’t stay for long because we’ll freeze, but I figured we could stop for chips on the way there.”

“That was our first date.”

He smiled. “Yes. It was.”

\--

They stood on the top of the small hill again, and he made quick work of setting up his camera while Rose sipped on her cocoa. “Has it really been eight months?” she asked. “Doesn’t seem that long.”

“It has. Time flies, and all that.”

“And yet I feel like I’ve known you for longer.”

“I think we were meant to be.” He smiled and took his cup from her waiting hand, tapping it to hers. “Written in the stars.” He glanced up at the sky and tried to keep his emotions in check. _Now is not the time,_ he told himself. “Speaking of which, the Orion Nebula. It’ll be fuzzy, but the conditions are right. You’ll still be able to see it just as well as you could with my granddad’s telescope.”

“Wilf, he’s such a sweet man.”

He pulled her over in front of him and kissed her cheek.

She turned her head and caught his lips.

 _Hold it together,_ he pleaded with himself. “I love you. I always have, but I saw it here.”

She turned fully in his arms and cupped his neck, pulling him down for a full-on snog.

They eventually got around to the Orion Nebula.

\--

She was quiet on the ride home.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” she answered quietly.

She wasn’t, he could tell. What could she possibly be upset about? Perhaps… she thought he’d propose, and he hadn’t. He smiled lightly. “Alright. Just so you know, we’re driving by my mother’s before we go back to my place.”

“Why?”

“We forgot to pack Jenny’s toothbrush.”

“I thought she had one over there. She’s there enough.”

“It’s not her favorite toothbrush, though. She wants hers. She’s very attached to it.”

“It’s never been a problem before.”

“Oh, you know. Kids.”

She looked at him. “Alright.”

\--

They pulled up on the street outside of the Noble residence. Jenny and Donna promptly stepped out onto the front step.

“Got her toothbrush?” Rose asked.

He felt his coat pockets for good measure. “Oh, no. I forgot it.”

“Rose! Rose!” Jenny ran right to her and tugged on her hand.

She bent down to talk to Jenny. “Sorry we don’t have your toothbrush. Your dad forgot it.”

“What?” She scrunched up her face. “I have one over here.”

Rose looked up at John. “Told you.”

Jenny looked at her dad for approval, smiling when he subtly nodded. “Can you be my mummy?”

Her jaw opened and closed a few times. “I… Jenny…”

“Because Daddy said I could ask you now. I’ve been wanting to ask you for forever.”

“He said…” She looked up at him again.

He held out a hand for her and tugged her into his arms. “Jenny and I, we both love you so much. And we’d really love it if you’d become a part of our family. Really, you’ve been, but we want to make it official.”

“Daddy would really like to be your Eugene.”

“My what?” She quirked her eyebrow at the girl.

“Remember when you were Rapunzel?”

“I do, yeah. That’s when I met you.”

“And Eugene couldn’t be there because he was sick?”

“Yes.”

“And I said Daddy could be your Eugene.”

She smiled. “You did.”

“Rose.”

She looked at John again, nearly trembling.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’d really love to be your Eugene.”

She gave a watery laugh.

“Would you let me be your Eugene?”

She laughed more and rested her forehead on his chest.

“Would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Eugene Fitzherbert?”

“Just ask me, you git!”

“Oh, good. Because if you made me wait any longer, I was going to break out the smolder. Ask Jenny. I give a mean smolder.”

“John!” She playfully pushed him.

“Rose Tyler, would you marry me?”

She gasped. “Oh my god!”

All the excitement drained from his face. “What? I asked you!”

“No! John! Listen.”

“Okay.” He scrubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ve been stuck in my tower my whole life long, waiting for my life to begin. And you…”

Tenderness filled his eyes. “Oh, Rose.”

“You took me out to see the lights.” Her voice cracked.

He gently smiled and cupped her jaw, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Are you crying?”

“Only a little.”

He chuckled before leaning down, his question punctuated with kisses. “So—does that mean—a yes?”

“Yes.”

He hummed and held her tighter to himself.

She pulled away only briefly. “John, wait.”

His bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

She laughed. “Give me a moment.”

He smiled when she walked towards Jenny and Donna on the front step, hand in hand.

“Jenny, I would love to be your mum.”

Jenny squealed and launched herself at Rose. “I have a mum!”

“I love you, Jenny.”

“I love you, Mummy.”

A pair of arms surrounded Rose from behind. “And I love you both. My little family. Ha! Oh, it feels so good to say that out loud!”

Donna joined the group hug. “Welcome to the family, Rose.”

“I get a sister!” Rose shouted.

“Right, and we’re going to have all kinds of fun. Shopping, girls’ weekends, sharing embarrassing stories about my baby brother, you know. You, me, and Jenny. Why don’t we all go inside? Bit chilly out here.”

Rose looked up at John behind her and smiled. “Want to?”

“I’d love to.”

When they stepped in the door, they were greeted by Wilf and Sylvia and, to Rose’s surprise, Jackie, who screamed and ran to her daughter.

“Mum! What are you doing here?”

“John invited me. Smart man. You picked yourself up a good one.”

Wilf popped a bottle of champagne. They served up Jackie's shepherd's pie that she'd brought, which they all enjoyed for a bit until Jenny yawned while she sat on John’s lap.

He exchanged a look with Rose. “Jenny, we’re gonna go home.”

“Good night, Daddy.” She reached around his neck

“Good night, Princess.”

She leaned over and gave Rose a hug around the neck. “Good night, Mummy.”

“Good night, Jenny.”

\--

As soon as he’d closed and locked the door to his flat, he scooped her up and carried her to his bed. His hips were soon nestled between her legs.

She sighed and lightly scratched his scalp as he kissed her collarbone. “You invited my mum.”

“I did.”

“Thank you.”

He met her eyes. “You’re welcome.”

She rubbed a thumb over his sideburn.

He smiled and returned his lips to her skin.

“I thought for a moment you would ask tonight, the way you got all emotional, but then you didn’t.”

He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. “I tried so hard to keep it in. Believe me, it was so hard. I needed Jenny to be there.”

“I’m happy she was.”

He hummed.

And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
